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March is Women's History Month!

Options Slim, Older Job Seekers Try Starting Fresh

John Pham (right) reviews Bob Drake's resume at an AARP event aimed at helping older workers improve their job search. Workers age 55 and older cite particular difficulty finding employment, and some are choosing to retrain for new careers.
Frank Franklin II
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AP
John Pham (right) reviews Bob Drake's resume at an AARP event aimed at helping older workers improve their job search. Workers age 55 and older cite particular difficulty finding employment, and some are choosing to retrain for new careers.

Deborah Klein sits in a parked car, a pile of envelopes on her lap. She's looking for work as a pharmacy technician, and has come to a faded strip mall near Waterbury, Conn., to drop off resumes with employers.

"I hope they get in touch with me, they want to meet with me, and who knows — they may have a position," Klein says. "It may not be now, but if I put something in their hand, they have something to think about."

There's nothing better than getting up in the morning and going to work. I'm not ready to give that up.

Klein has her work cut out for her. Waterbury's unemployment rate is the highest in the state. And Klein has been unemployed for a while — her last full-time job, working for a software company, was in 2008. She's answered hundreds of job ads since being laid off, but has had little luck landing interviews.

At 62, one of Klein's obstacles may be her age. One of the few times she was called in for an interview, she sensed immediately that age would be a barrier.

"I walked in and I was the old lady of the place," Klein says. "I did not fit the demographic at all. The woman who was initially speaking to me was this little girl — I could almost have picked her up by the scruff of her neck. I mean, you knew I was not a fit."

Now, Klein's unemployment insurance has run out, she's burning through her 401(k) and she's even had to accept help from her two adult daughters.

Ultimately, Klein decided to retrain as a pharmacy technician, in the hope of broadening her employment options.

Starting Over At 62

Klein says her family thinks she's nuts, starting over at 62 in a field where she has no experience. But Klein, who has always liked science, graduated at the top of her class.

Deborah Klein (right) meets with Tricia Brister, volunteer coordinator at Griffin Hospital in Derby, Conn., about volunteer opportunities.
Jim Zarroli / NPR
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NPR
Deborah Klein (right) meets with Tricia Brister, volunteer coordinator at Griffin Hospital in Derby, Conn., about volunteer opportunities.

Still, the notion of starting over at 62 isn't as unusual as it once was. Sara Rix, a senior policy adviser with the AARP Public Policy Institute, says labor force participation among older workers has gone up.

There are many reasons for that, Rix says, including that people are living longer and want to stay active.

But financial necessity is also a factor, Rix says. A lot of older people simply can't afford to retire.

"The recession has had a devastating impact on individuals' financial well-being," Rix says. Recovering some of those losses by remaining in the labor force longer is "one of the few options over which they have some control."

People can apply for Social Security benefits as early as age 62. But opting into the program so early means their monthly payments will be lower later on. So, Rix says, older workers have to make a choice.

Staying Focused

For Klein, the choice was obvious. And she's gone about her job search the right way, says Stephen Romano of the Connecticut Department of Labor.

"She hasn't been scattered all over the place," Romano says. "She's focused on one mission. ... She's going to get a job interview pretty soon, if you want my opinion on it."

Back in the Waterbury parking lot, Klein approaches a drug store, looking professional in her blue dress and matching shoes.

She's in luck: The pharmacist agrees to see her. He tells her she has to apply online if she wants a job. He doesn't seem too encouraging.

But Klein is a positive person, and she's upbeat about the encounter.

"I thought he was charming. Nice man, and I think I might have ... got the feeling he would actually go in and look at my resume."

Working Free

Klein has also decided she can do even more to boost her employability. A few days after the drugstore pharmacy visit, she shows up at Griffin Hospital in nearby Derby, Conn. She's decided to volunteer.

"I'm trying to do ... as much as I can do to get into the field," Klein says. "If it means I need to get experience by working for free, I'll do it."

The hospital relies heavily on volunteers — and a lot of them are older than Klein. Tricia Brister, the volunteer coordinator, seems encouraging.

"Excellent, excellent," Brister tells Klein. "We're always looking for volunteers, and [we] have weekend hours too."

Klein likes the idea of coming here. Because it's not just about money, she says. She doesn't feel her age, and she still wants to work. She can't bear the thought of sitting at home watching TV all day.

"I'd rather be working," Klein says. "There's nothing better than getting up in the morning and going to work. I'm not ready to give that up."

And the years have taught Klein something: There are drugstores and hospitals everywhere. If she keeps knocking on doors she knows one of them will open eventually — even if the odds sometimes seem stacked against it.

Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

Jim Zarroli is an NPR correspondent based in New York. He covers economics and business news.